Overview

With your initial certification to teach chemistry in hand, you now have the challenge of meeting the New York State Education Department’s requirements for professional certification. SUNY Cortland’s M.S.Ed. in adolescence education: chemistry (7-12) will help you fulfill those requirements. Whether you choose to enroll in full-time graduate study or part time while you’re in your first years of teaching, the degree will give you the opportunity to broaden and deepen your knowledge of chemistry and other sciences while continuing to improve your teaching skills.

Program Highlights

You’ll enhance your content knowledge with graduate course work in chemistry, as well as advanced study in biology, geology and/or physics. You have two options for furthering your knowledge of adolescent learners and how to create and maintain a positive teaching-learning environment for science.

Option I

You will extend your teaching skills through exploration of emerging teaching methodologies and resources. You’ll examine the social, historical, philosophical or psychological foundations of education.

Option II

You’ll study the nature of the middle school adolescent learner and the teaching strategies that work best at that developmental level. With this option, you’ll earn a middle level extension of your chemistry 7-12 certificate to include grades 5 and 6 for chemistry.

Culminating Experience

In addition to fulfilling any specific degree requirements determined by the Chemistry Department, you’ll complete a culminating master’s project.

Career Potential

With the M.S.Ed. in adolescence education: chemistry (7-12), you can expand your capacity to teach middle school or high school chemistry. You’ll earn SUNY Cortland’s institutional recommendation for New York State’s professional certification in chemistry for grades 7-12. You may also choose to consider career options that include further graduate study, laboratory research or consulting.

Graduate Admissions

Evaluation Policy

At the State University of New York College at Cortland we seek a diverse and academically strong student body. Our admission policy and practice will not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, national origin or marital status.

Required Materials

Official transcripts from all institutions of higher learning attended to be forwarded directly to SUNY Cortland Graduate Admissions Office indicating a major in chemistry or functionally related area. Note: Candidates for admission must present evidence of bachelor’s degree conferral prior to the start of their academic program.

Evidence of pending or awarded initial/provisional certification or a certificate of qualification for provisional certification issued by the New York State Education Department to teach chemistry in grades 7-12.

Three letters of recommendation from former professors or professional colleagues who can speak to the candidate’s preparation and competence for teaching chemistry in grades 7-12 (submitted online with the application)

Admissions Criteria

Preference will be given to candidates with the following:

An overall undergraduate GPA of 2.7 and above on a 4.0 scale in all courses, in the major, and in related areas of science and mathematics

Deadlines

Applications submitted after the deadline may be considered on a space availability basis. Please contact the Graduate Admissions Office at 607-753-4800 to check on availability.

Master of Science in Education - Adolescence Education: Chemistry 7-12
Program Requirements
A. Major: 12 credit hours
12 credit hours in graduate chemistry
B. Related Areas of Science: Nine credit hours
Nine credit hours in biology, geology, and/or physics
C. Pedagogy: Six credit hours
Option I: Without middle childhood extension
Education elective from the areas of social, historical, philosophical or psychological foundations of education
AED 646 - Seminar in the Teaching of Science in the Middle and Secondary Schools (3 cr. hr.)
Option II: Leads to middle childhood extension certificate for grades 5-6
AED 533 - Introduction to Middle Childhood Education (3 cr. hr.)
PSY 533 Advanced Developmental Psychology (3 cr. hr.)
D. Culminating Master's Project: Three credit hours
SCI 699 - Master’s Project (3 cr. hr.) Any student who receives an incomplete grade in SCI 699 must register for SCI 697 Extension of Graduate Culminating Activity (1 cr. hr.) each subsequent semester until the Master’s Project is completed, not to exceed one year.
E. Course in teaching students with disabilities: 0-3 credit hours
F. Award of the degree
Award of the degree requires completion of all coursework with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 overall and in each of the three categories A, B, and C shown above.
Additional Requirements
Completion of the following workshops:
Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting (CARR)
Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)
Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE)
Other requirements for the award of the degree may be determined by the departments concerned and must be ascertained by the student in consultation with the coordinator of adolescence education: science (7-12).
Note: Specific information regarding additional requirements for qualification for the professional certificate in New York state may be found at Teacher Certification.
Total Credit Hours Required: 30-33